latas's review against another edition
4.0
The charming Jake Brigance is back. As one of the characters quotes, if ever I was in any legal trouble, I would surely get Jake Brigance as my lawyer. This book touches on one of John Grisham's pet subjects, the death penalty. Grisham does feel very strongly against it, which is quite evident in every book of his. It was heart wrenching at times. I didn't know that in some states of the US, killing a cop gets a death sentence, even if the killer is under-age. It was sad that many in the town were supporting death sentence for Drew. It was understandable that the sheriff and the cops were against Jake for defending Drew, but it was puzzling that most of the folks in the town supported the cop, who was not always at his best . Charles McGarry and his church supporting Rosie and Keira brought a lump to my throat. John Grisham is the only author who can write so many pages of sad stuff, make me cry and get away with it. I am usually not so forgiving with other authors.
There was a need of good editing. There were lots of repetition, this book could have been easily edited to half the original, without losing anything important. The railroad case was often distracting and the details were repetitive.
I loved the supporting characters of Harry Rex, Lucien Wilbanks and Portia. Sheriff Ozzie lost my respect for him in this book. The mock trial of the Railroad case was fun.
Recommended to John Grisham fans and fans of court room drama. Others may stay clear.
There was a need of good editing. There were lots of repetition, this book could have been easily edited to half the original, without losing anything important. The railroad case was often distracting and the details were repetitive.
I loved the supporting characters of Harry Rex, Lucien Wilbanks and Portia. Sheriff Ozzie lost my respect for him in this book. The mock trial of the Railroad case was fun.
Recommended to John Grisham fans and fans of court room drama. Others may stay clear.
jsant's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
John Grisham is a masterful story teller. This story is tragic, compelling and hard to put down. Similar to the other books in this series that I read years ago.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, and Murder
tfay765's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Violence, Alcoholism, Rape, and Child abuse
teawithgriffon's review
3.0
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It has a good story with good characters, but there is too much sidetracking. I also thought the end was very anticlimactic. To sum it up this book is fun to read, but has pacing issues and a not so rewarding ending.
mandylovestoread's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely Sensational! A Time For Mercy is John Grisham at his best! It is an old school legal thriller, just like A Time to Kill and I could not get enough or get the story out of my mind. It took me back to when I first read a Grisham novel as a teenager and I couldn't be happier about it.
Jake Brigance returns, 5 years after he dramatically got Carl Lee off on a murder charge in A Time to Kill. Now I can only see Jake as Matthew McConaughey after the film... not that that is a bad thing. This time the case does not centre on race. He is appointed as as the attorney for Drew Gamble, a 16 year old boy who shot and killed his mothers boyfriend, who also happened to be a local deputy on the police force. He admits to the crime and then say no more. It seems like the impossible case to defend, but if anybody can Jake can.
Once again this case makes him unpopular in his town of Clayton, Mississippi. He is defending a cop killer. But this is nothing new for him. Jake has always been the lawyer with a big heart, who believes in doing the right thing. He has a big heart and he lives for his family and his work. He is not loaded, his practice is still struggling to stay afloat but he is determined to help this boy - no matter what the cost.
I loved this book, being back in the world of Jake Brigance and his team, fighting for the little guy. Grisham brings it all to life with the way he writes, and I can absolutely see this as a movie. A Time For Mercy can be read without reading the previous books and I guarantee that you will want more when you are finished. It is not a fast read, it is a book to take your time with and appreciate the master of the legal thriller.
Thank you so much to Hachette Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read.
Jake Brigance returns, 5 years after he dramatically got Carl Lee off on a murder charge in A Time to Kill. Now I can only see Jake as Matthew McConaughey after the film... not that that is a bad thing. This time the case does not centre on race. He is appointed as as the attorney for Drew Gamble, a 16 year old boy who shot and killed his mothers boyfriend, who also happened to be a local deputy on the police force. He admits to the crime and then say no more. It seems like the impossible case to defend, but if anybody can Jake can.
Once again this case makes him unpopular in his town of Clayton, Mississippi. He is defending a cop killer. But this is nothing new for him. Jake has always been the lawyer with a big heart, who believes in doing the right thing. He has a big heart and he lives for his family and his work. He is not loaded, his practice is still struggling to stay afloat but he is determined to help this boy - no matter what the cost.
I loved this book, being back in the world of Jake Brigance and his team, fighting for the little guy. Grisham brings it all to life with the way he writes, and I can absolutely see this as a movie. A Time For Mercy can be read without reading the previous books and I guarantee that you will want more when you are finished. It is not a fast read, it is a book to take your time with and appreciate the master of the legal thriller.
Thank you so much to Hachette Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read.
helms's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
noelle_vandermeid's review against another edition
4.0
Good - not his best
A good retelling of a compelling court case but no twists or fun surprises. I still never miss a Ghrisham book.
A good retelling of a compelling court case but no twists or fun surprises. I still never miss a Ghrisham book.
jcharlton's review against another edition
3.0
Not my favorite from this great author. I think part of it was it was set in 1990 or so and some of the attitudes were of then.